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A meal kit using Martha Stewart’s recipes delivered to your front door? Yes please! We tested Marley Spoon to see just what the experience is like.
Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Martha Stewart is known for her delicious recipes for everything from impressive desserts to everyday meals. But what if all of the ingredients and step-by-step instructions for those dishes could be shipped right to your door? Well, they can!
With the same convenience as other meal kits, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a meal prep service with more than 45 recipes to choose from each week. And, as a big fan of Martha’s, I knew I had to put this service to the test. If you’re curious about Marley Spoon reviews, I cooked through several recipes to see what this meal delivery service was all about.
What is Marley Spoon?
Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Marley Spoon is a meal delivery service much like HelloFresh. Each box includes the ingredients needed to make your chosen meals, along with an instruction card to follow. The options on the menu each week are recipes from Martha Stewart, with a focus on full meals with great flavor. Choose from 45 different rotating options and the categories include vegetarian, vegan and family-friendly meals.
Each week, go online to choose your menu. From there, pre-packaged ingredients and instruction cards are delivered to your home. I knew the exact day my box would be delivered, but the perishable ingredients were still packaged in a separate cold bag in case they needed to sit for awhile. It was simple to unbox and put ingredients away either in the fridge or pantry until I was ready to dive in and start cooking.
Can’t get enough of Martha? Deck out your home and kitchen with these Martha Stewart products, too.
How We Tested Marley Spoon
To see what Marley Spoon was all about, I tried three different meals. Each meal came with the main ingredients needed to pull it off. However, the recipe cards noted other required pantry staples such as olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar.
Skillet Beef Moussaka
Molly Allen for Taste of Home
The first dish I made was the Skillet Beef Moussaka. In the box, I found eggplant, onion, canned tomatoes, fresh parsley, mascarpone cheese, Parmesan cheese and a specialty spice blend. The process of cooking this meal took a bit longer (and required more dishes!) than expected for me, but the results were certainly worth it. The final dish served up hearty comfort food full of flavor. I loved the combination of ground beef, eggplant and other veggies, and the seasoning was well balanced. Another major bonus—I ended up having plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day.
Italian Sausage Ragu Pasta
Next up was the Italian Sausage Ragu Pasta. This kit was quick and easy, with red bell pepper, pork sausage, fennel seeds, cherry tomatoes, linguine pasta, fresh parsley, ricotta and parmesan cheese included. The prep for this recipe was super simple, as well as the cooking method. I was shocked by just how flavorful this dish was with so few ingredients. It easily stacked up to a restaurant-quality bowl of pasta—a fantastic weeknight meal.
Sheet Pan Piri Piri Chicken
Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Last but certainly not least was the easy-prep Sheet Pan Piri Piri Chicken. After first reading the recipe card, I didn’t have high hopes for this dish. The method of broiling chicken seemed a bit odd to me, and I imagined such a simple dish might be quite bland. But it pleasantly surprised me. The box included shallot, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, chicken breast, honey and a delicious piri piri spice blend. It required a bit of prep to chop the veggies and roast in separate steps, but the results were amazing. The flavor of the seasoned vegetables and chicken paired with the drizzle of piri piri vinaigrette was incredible. I ended up eating every single piece of the roasted veggies in one serving—they were that good.
Marley Spoon Features
When you choose your meals on Marley Spoon’s website, you can select a plan for two or four people. You can also choose from two to six meals per week. My box arrived well packaged, without any concern for the foods that needed to be kept cold. The insulated bag and ice packs kept things fresh, with everything nonperishable wrapped and stored in a paper bag.
Ingredients such as eggplant, red peppers, onion and sweet potato, as well as the packaged meat, came very fresh. Other ingredients were portioned individually, such as small squares of Parmesan cheese or a mini container of ricotta, making measurements simple and eliminating extra food waste.
The three dishes I tried were far more flavorful and interesting than I anticipated, making me want to try more of what’s on the menu. I love that the recipes aren’t always the same each week, giving plenty of variety. At first glance, the pictures of the final product and even some of the methods seemed intimidating. However, each recipe was divided up into six steps, with photos of each step that were helpful for following along. Plus, with the recipe and instruction cards, I now have the recipe to make again on my own any time.
Pros
- Wide variety of recipes to choose from
- Flavorful, wholesome meals
- Generous portions with leftovers
- Ability to choose your delivery day based on your schedule
- Option to skip a week if needed
- Fresh, quality ingredients included
Cons
- Required quite a few other kitchen staples on hand such as olive oil, eggs and vinegar
- Some meals required more time and resulted in more dirty dishes than expected
- Higher cost per meal than other services
FAQ
What are the plan options?
Marley Spoon plans offer meals for two or four people, including anywhere from two to six meals per week, depending on your needs.
Are there any dietary restrictions?
With more than 45 meal prep kits to choose from, there are plenty of options to fit dietary restrictions. Choose to make your box entirely vegetarian, or select the meal options to fit low-carb, vegan, low-calorie and dairy-free needs as well.
While there are several options to fit dietary needs, specific meal kits dedicated to restrictions such as keto, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly aren’t available.
Product Comparison
Having tried Hello Fresh in the past, I found the quality of ingredients and recipes from Marley Spoon to be better. The meals were far more flavorful. Of the meals I tried, they were fairly simple. However, some of the steps did take me out of my comfort zone, requiring additional kitchen skills. But with that, I was thrilled to have the chance to learn something new along the way.
The shipping and delivery options are incredibly convenient, with the ability to choose your delivery day depending on your location. Nationwide shipping isn’t available, but the service is available in most states.
For more tasty eats, check out our reviews of the Goldbelly subscription, Rachael Ray’s meal kits and plant-based meal delivery service Mosaic.
Final Verdict
If you’re someone looking for a meal kit service to try new and interesting recipes in the kitchen, I’d definitely recommend Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon. The service is great for foodies who want to expand their recipe repertoire, learn new skills and try gourmet meals with a convenient twist. The meal prep required a few more steps and dishes than I anticipated, but the results were well worth it. And I was pleased with just how fresh and high quality the ingredients were, without as much individual packaging and plastic waste as I’ve seen with other kits.
Where to Buy Marley Spoon
Molly Allen for Taste of Home
Sign up for a subscription and purchase meal prep kits on the Marley Spoon website. Pricing ranges from $62 to $124 per week for meals for two people. Meals for four people range from $94 to $219 per week. There is an additional charge of $9.99 per box for shipping. Keep an eye out for deals and new customer specials, though. You can frequently snag a box for less. Weeknight dinner is about to get a whole lot more interesting!
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